Oregon basketball: Point guard Strowbridge will join Ducks

The Oregon Ducks will add point guard Jay-R Strowbridge, a well-traveled player who has taken the same route Jeremiah Masoli took away from Eugene.

Strowbridge, a 5-foot-11 guard from Ardmore, Ala., has transferred from Arkansas State and will be immediately eligible, enrolling in a graduate program not available at ASU.

Oregon coach Dana Altman, on the road recruiting, was not available for comment on the Strowbridge signing, first reported by DuckTerritory.com.

It’s the latest stop in a zig-zagging college career for Strowbridge, who originally signed with Murray State then went to Nebraska after the Racers made a coaching change. He played two seasons with the Huskers, averaging 4.4 points and 1.5 assists in 18.9 minutes per game, then transferred after the 2007-08 season, reportedly to play closer to home.

At Jacksonville State last season, Strowbridge averaged 12.3 points and 2.3 assists in 27.4 minutes but left for “personal reasons’’ to attend Arkansas State. But two weeks after he decided to transfer to ASU, he decided to leave again, citing an NCAA investigation into academic fraud at Arkansas State.

Strowbridge, with one season of eligibility left, will join junior Malcolm Armstead and true freshman Johnathan Loyd at point guard for the Ducks. Guard Garrett Sim also can play the point.

The position has been a bit of a revolving door for the Ducks in the past couple of years. Ben Voogd and Kamyron Brown came and went. Tajuan Porter bounced between the point and shooting guard. Sim played it for a bit before settling into a combo guard role. Malcolm Armstead manned the point last year, then decided to transfer before Altman talked him into staying.

Strowbridge, who has adopted the nickname "F.I.N.A.O." for "failure is not an option," is a small but athletic guard, who can play strong on-the-ball defense. He is also an accurate three-point shooter, hitting 40 percent of his three-pointers in his college career.

The addition of Strowbridge gives Oregon 10 scholarship players, although LeKendric Longmire is not working out with the team and is assumed to be an academic casualty.